Aaron and Anne-Sophie

Anne-Sophie and I visited Chicago for the first time to attend a friend’s wedding celebration. See photos here. We made the most of our time there. I think we’ve been living in DC too long, because we discovered that we really missed being in a real “city” with skyscrapers and crowds. Not only does it have some of the highest buildings, they are also some of the most beautiful. I found it a happy medium between a smaller city like San Francisco and a huge city like New York. It’s more laid back, but not as much as California. Yet it is still large enough to feel lost in a sea of concrete. Throw in the a river and lake; it makes for a wonderful skyline. Culturally, it also feels like middle America. I think that’s why the comedy club “Second City” Chicago has produced so many famous comedians because they work in Chicago with their pulse on the average American. Almost everyone who has been on Saturday Night Live had performed here, and so it was fun to possibly see the next Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, or Stephen Colbert. In addition to that, the goal was to live out Ferris Bueller’s Day off while we were there. We went to the Art Institute, saw a Cub’s game, danced to Twist and Shout at the wedding party, and went up to get a view from one of the tallest buildings in Chicago. Plus we had Chicago style pizza at Giordano’s, and Chicago style hot dogs and Chicago Italian beef sandwiches at Portillos. I can still feel them in my stomach. To quote Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

We haven’t blogged in a long time, and I don’t think anyone reads this anymore, but it’s nice to keep track of our lives just for us to reflect. Don’t think a Facebook status or Tweet is enough (though we don’t tweet). We have a few trips lined up and hopefully a few more events to share in a blog or at least some photos. Lately we’ve had to resort to more local trips like Delaware, Philadelphia, the Shenandoah, etc. and have been hosting travelers through couchsurfing.org. Basically we host strangers (mostly backpackers) at our place and help show them around DC. We’d much rather host people we know though, so come stay at our place in DC. There are a few photos in our picassa album (the link is to the right-photos after Jan. 2009).

The biggest change since the last blog is that I’ve been working at a Quaker High School in Maryland, and it is the perfect fit for me teaching-wise because they emphasize a holistic learning approach. I get to teach not only academics, but about sports, environment, music, ethics, spirituality inside the classroom, but also outside the class in experiential trips and volunteering. Quakers also emphasize equality, justice, and non-violence. I teach international high school students ESL and history. Along the way, this past year, I’ve also managed to acquire another Masters (in Education) and am half way through state licensure for ESL. Anne-Sophie has been working with the same consulting firm and has gotten to travel to do some travel in the past year or so to Ghana, Ukraine, and most recently Bosnia.

In the next year, we have plans to go to Chicago, Las Vegas, France, probably France again, and then probably somewhere in Asia. We still haven’t decided. I will be leading a student trip in March to the Middle East. Anyway, we’ll have more to report then.

Until then . . .

Just 2 hours away from Washington DC is Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, famous for having some of the largest populations of Amish and Mennonites. We spent the weekend there (see photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/aaronka/AmishCountry2009#). Although many of the Amish still live traditional lives, we were surprised to see the amount of modern reforms the Amish have added. Many have left farms for more lucrative businesses to keep up with the world today. They allow houses to have telephones, but they have to be put in a separate outhouse. They use some machinery for their farming now. In addition, the areas around their farms are being sold to chain stores, etc., so the differences between the Amish country and anywhere else in the US are often subtle. Most noticable though, Amish still dress simply and use horse driven buggies to get around. Although interaction with the rest of the world is inevitable, they still require marriage only among their community and practice shunning of those that do not follow their rules. Nonetheless, we learned a lot about the Amish and found them to be quite friendly, but you can’t take their photos, because most believe it’s against their religion. Lastly, I’m also quite fond of their commitment to non-violence and in particular, the Mennonite (the Amish are just a sect of this larger group) commitment to social justice around the world. I have met several Mennonites in the Middle East working for justice and peace there, and they are admirable partners of peace in the world.

PS-Stop by Adamstown, the US capital of antiques, if you like shopping for random old things.

PSS-I have friend working in Antarctica and he has a blog at: http://www.corey-the-ice.blogspot.com/ It’s not an everyday working/travel experience, so I’ll be sure to check it out. Don’t think I can visit though =(.

I took a short trip in Ireland on my way to meet Anne-Sophie in France to visit family and then headed back to the US via Boston and Maine for a wedding. Here are the photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/aaronka/IrelandFranceNewEngland2009#

I called it my Celtic journey, but in fact most Irish and Bretons originated from northern Spain, and were influenced by the arrival of the Celts much later. Still there are many similarities in culture and landscape in all three places I visited. (more…)

From now on, all of our newest photos will be on Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/aaronka/

There’s also a link to the right labeled: Our Newest Photos.

PS We no longer live in our Alexandria condo. We now have a place in DC. You’re all still welcome to visit though!

We braved the freezing temperatures to attend the “We are One” Inaugural Concert for Obama at the Lincoln Memorial. No matter what happens or what you think of Obama, his inauguration will always be seen as a historic moment. Perhaps only FDR’s and JFK’s inaugurations have caused so much excitement. After 400 years of struggle, an African-American will hold the highest office in the country. It was quite a scene to see a large portion of the estimated 1-4 millions in town to see Obama’s inauguration on the same steps of where millions have marched for change before. On the day before King’s celebrated birthday, it was an amazing juxtaposition to see Obama speaking at the same place where MLK Jr. gave his “I have a Dream” speech, which helped make Obama’s future presidency a possiblity. The vibe of the crowd, despite the cold, was of anticipation and hope for Obama, and relief from the end of Bush. To make the moment even more special was the number of celebrities speaking and performing at the concert. It was like going to the Oscars or Grammies. It included Denzel Washington, Bruce Springstein, U2, Shakira, Usher, Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Tiger Woods, Steve Carrell, Jack Black, Will I Am, Sheryl Crow, Tom Hanks, Garth Brooks, Queen Latifah, Mary J Blige, Jamie Fox, George Lopez, Samuel L. Jackson, Bon Jovi, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, John Legend, James Taylor, John Mellencamp, Rosario Dawson, and Kal Pen (Kumar from Harold and Kumar). Interestingly, Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal church gave the invocation and Rick Warren, who was very anti-gay marriage in California, will be doing it at the actual inauguration. It was quite an experience, and we’re satisfied enough to skip the actual inauguration on Tuesday for the out of towners to do. It’s too freakin cold and we’ll get a better view on TV. Given the crowds, we had to see most of it from a jumbo screen. Still, I posted a few photos.

I’m posting some photos of our New Orleans trip in the short trips album. We had a good time overall. New Orleans is certainly rebuilding and is as lively as ever. However, the crime and poverty have also returned which I experienced first hand by being mugged-hopefully a once in a lifetime experience. I blame the travel channel for getting me all hyped to get the “best fried chicken” in the country which caused me to wander off the touristy areas and getting jumped 2 blocks away before reaching the restaurant. Still, you should go and support its revival by having fun, eating well (you got southern, cajun, and creole food), and enjoying the beautiful architecture. It’s sort of like Vegas with a history and without the cheesiness of the fake famous sites. We came at the beginning of Carnaval, so we saw some mini-parades, but of course it will be much more exciting when Carnaval snowballs into Mardi Gras in a month.

We’re back in DC and I’ve posted highlights of our almost 500 photos (Colombia and Venezuela Album) to give you an idea of what our trip was like. Both are gorgeous countries with amazing cultures and friendly people, but face challenging political problems. (more…)

I know we don’t blog very often anymore, especially with Facebook to update our travel status, but there are so many interesting things about Colombia that cannot only be shown through photos or one liners. I was going to wait until we got back, but I’m stuck somewhere in Bogota in the rain without any umbrella and the taxis all occupied, so I need something to do. As some of you may know, I’ve been traveling in Colombia for over a week now, and Anne-Sophie is coming tonight and we’ll continue to the north of Colombia and then to Venezuela returning January 4th. Sorry to all the friends and family for missing Christmas and New Years. (more…)

We had a great weekend in the Shenandoah and at a friend’s farm at the border of Virginia and West Virginia. It was nice to get away from the city and get a taste of country life. We rode horses, relaxed and got pampered at nice Bed and Breakfast with massages, hot-tubs, wine, cheese, and a gourmet breakdast. We got celebrate the local community, crafts, food, and history at the county festival. The local Luray caverns were spectacular and so were the colors of Fall at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains on Skyline Dr. Then we went to visit my friend Bob, who I met in Palestine in 2003. He and his family have a farm along the George Washington National Forest. We picked wild growing apples and pears up the hill and ate good old country food. It was a great experience to get a taste of rural America, which in many ways is like visiting a different country in comparison to life in DC. It was also great to enjoy the season, which is not as pronounced in California. Meanwhile, we have boxes of apples to share with you all. Come by and get some. See photos in our DC album.